Hitting Voters on the Campaign Road

The doorstep question hits the Windsor West candidate like a rocket-propelled political grenade to the chest.

The voter is obviously Pro-Life, but the candidate, while running for the NDP (very Pro-Choice), is also angling heavily for votes from the large local Arabic community (very traditional and family-centric).

What is Helmi Charif to do?

“Can you please leave?” he asks the reporter and photographer assigned to track his campaign trail moves on this afternoon.

When I do election streeters with the candidates, I always give them the same advance notice and the same advice – you pick the neighborhood.

The photog and I then trot along, taking pictures and notes, flies-on-the-wall-like.

First thing I notice about Windsor West Liberal candidate Teresa Piruzza’s street selection? Nearly every front yard has a Liberal lawn sign. And no surprise — nearly every homeowner responds to her knock with a huge smile and a hug.

This is Fortress Grit, so don’t expect any big doorstep debates on policies and platforms when Liberal meets Liberals at the door and a pesky reporter is within range. Most of these voters, in heavy Italian accents, have already committed to the party for the rest of their days.

Tory candidate Todd Branch takes us to the stamped-concrete driveways and immaculately landscaped estates of Southwood Lakes with its blue, blue ponds and swimming pools.

These are well-to-do people and hard-working – it’s early afternoon and most of the stately homes are empty of owners, who are probably running the economy at this time of day in order to pay the mortgages and sock away enough to get their kids through college.

This is Tory Town, and most of the sporadically encountered voters we do discover agree with Todd’s argument that it’s time to turf that rascal McGuinty out so more hard-earned dollars can remain in taxpayer pockets.

Not surprisingly, therefore, no surprises while out and about with the Reds and the Blues.

There are plenty of New Democrat pockets in Windsor West (polls indicate the party is a frontrunner here and federal NDP MP Brian Masse remains unassailably popular), but it quickly becomes apparent that Helmi’s campaign has chosen a neighbourhood that, unlike the other two, isn’t entirely painted his party’s colour (that would be Orange).

Therefore, do you give him better marks than the others for sheer boldness? Or lesser marks for not realizing the precarious potential for doorstep embarrassments … albeit, with more interesting consequences for the journalistic observers?

In my riding profile story in today’s Star, there’s Helmi’s encounter with the gruff voter who would have nothing with his party promises and then hits him with the zinger: “When was the Canadian constitution signed?” (Reminds me of that old, “How much is a carton of milk?” question flung at campaigning presidential or prime ministerial hopefuls by smarty-pants pundits who don’t know the answer themselves).

After the secretive encounter between the NDPer and the Pro-Lifer, neither side would reveal details.

“I’ve not made up my mind yet,” said the Pro-Lifer. What about the NDP? “I don’t know,” she told

“I’m worried about abortion – what’s your position?”

The doorstep question hits the Windsor West candidate like a rocket-propelled political grenade to the chest.

The voter is obviously Pro-Life, but the candidate, while running for the NDP (very Pro-Choice), is also angling heavily for votes from the large local Arabic community (very traditional and family-centric).

What is Helmi Charif to do?

“Can you please leave?” he asks the reporter and photographer assigned to track his campaign trail moves on this afternoon.

When I do election streeters with the candidates, I always give them the same advance notice and the same advice – you pick the neighborhood.

The photog and I then trot along, taking pictures and notes, flies-on-the-wall-like.

First thing I notice about Windsor West Liberal candidate Teresa Piruzza’s street selection? Nearly every front yard has a Liberal lawn sign. And no surprise — nearly every homeowner responds to her knock with a huge smile and a hug.

This is Fortress Grit, so don’t expect any big doorstep debates on policies and platforms when Liberal meets Liberals at the door and a pesky reporter is within range. Most of these voters, in heavy Italian accents, have already committed to the party for the rest of their days.

Tory candidate Todd Branch takes us to the stamped-concrete driveways and immaculately landscaped estates of Southwood Lakes with its blue, blue ponds and swimming pools.

These are well-to-do people and hard-working – it’s early afternoon and most of the stately homes are empty of owners, who are probably running the economy at this time of day in order to pay the mortgages and sock away enough to get their kids through college.

This is Tory Town, and most of the sporadically encountered voters we do discover agree with Todd’s argument that it’s time to turf that rascal McGuinty out so more hard-earned dollars can remain in taxpayer pockets.

Not surprisingly, therefore, no surprises while out and about with the Reds and the Blues.

There are plenty of New Democrat pockets in Windsor West (polls indicate the party is a frontrunner here and federal NDP MP Brian Masse remains unassailably popular), but it quickly becomes apparent that Helmi’s campaign has chosen a neighbourhood that, unlike the other two, isn’t entirely painted his party’s colour (that would be Orange).

Therefore, do you give him better marks than the others for sheer boldness? Or lesser marks for not realizing the precarious potential for doorstep embarrassments … albeit, with more interesting consequences for the journalistic observers?

In my riding profile story in today’s Star, there’s Helmi’s encounter with the gruff voter who would have nothing with his party promises and then hits him with the zinger: “When was the Canadian constitution signed?” (Reminds me of that old, “How much is a carton of milk?” question flung at campaigning presidential or prime ministerial hopefuls by smarty-pants pundits who don’t know the answer themselves).

After the secretive encounter between the NDPer and the Pro-Lifer, neither side would reveal details.

“I’ve not made up my mind yet,” said the Pro-Lifer. What about the NDP? “I don’t know,” she told me.

I then throw a low-ball stinker to Helmi: What’s your position on abortion?

It’s a federal issue, and yet even a social conservative like Steve Harper, (a big-C leader in majority land facing weak fill-in opposition leaders) refuses to address it.

“You’re making it hard,” Helmi says with a nervous smile. After a brief sidewalk pause, he responds: “I’ve got to stick to the policies of my party.”

Like most Canadians, Helmi, who came here from Lebanon in 1991 and joined the NDP in 1998, struggles with such a difficult issue.

“There is no perfect party, but this is the party that cares the most for working families,” he says before gamely striding to the next door and another potential surprise.

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By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.